Improvement in rigging for vessels



UNDER 'FULL SAlL N4 PETERS. PHOTO-LITHDGRAFHER. WASHINGTM D C.

dtitml (Staten ROBERT B. FORBES, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 101,851, dated April 12, 1870.

IMPROVEIIENT IN RIGGING- FR VES-SELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the sameV I, ROBERT B. FORBES, of Boston, inthe Gommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in the Rigging of Ilore-and-aft-rigged Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

The principal feature of my invention is the employing of traveling stays and stay sails between the masts of two or three-masted schooners in the place of the sails `and rigging now in use, and'in dispensing with gais.

The drawings represent this improvement when applied to a three-masted schooner, as follows, namely:

Figure l shows the schooner under all ihre-'aud-aft canvas.

Figure 3, the same with the four upper sails furled, and the top-mast-stayr sails partially lowered, which is equivalent to reefng them.

Figure 3, the' sameunder close reefs, that is to say, the bonnets off the jib and the two lower stay sails, and the mizzeu with two reefs in it.

Letters represent in each figure the same thing.

Letters a a represent the lower stay sails.

Letters b b, the bonnets on the same.

Letters c c, the top-mast-stay sails.

Letters d d, the gatop sails.

In the drawings the stays are designated by name.

Between the masts of schoouers having either two or three masts I provide stays that travel up and down on the masts, between which they are passed by means of rings or other devices, as follows, that is to say:

The lower stays are movedv on the masts up to and down from the points where the lower fixed stays are fastened to said masts. This allows them to he lowered and hoisted sufficiently to admit `of removing or xing the bonnets to the stay sails which they respectively carry.

The upper travelingstays have their forward ends, respectively, travel on the mast next forward up to and down from the point where the forward end of the upper fixed stays are fastened to said masts, while the other ends of said upper traveling stays travel on the top -masts of the masts next aft, up to and down from the points where the rear end of thel upper fixed stays are made fast to their respective masts.

'.lhese traveling stays 'are hoisted and lowered by means 'of tricing-tackles or other well-known means.

Between each two masts I have two sails, a lower andan upper, besides the gaff-top sail, each carried by or traveling on one of the above-described traveling stays.

The two lower of these sails have booms and bonnets at their foot, and'their heads are provided with banks, rings, or bnlls-eyes, or other usual means, and made to move back and forth on said stays by means of halyards, and down-hanls, or equivalent means, as usual.

When it becomes necessary to reduce the sail by removing the bonnets, the stay is lowered sufficiently to allow this to be done, or when the sail is to be completely taken iu or lowered, the halyards are let go, and the sail runs down -on the stay with the help of down-hauls; then the tricing-tackles are slacked and the lui of the sail runs down to the point where it is to be furled.

The sails next above are called top-mast-stay sails. They travel up and down their respective stays, and are set and taken in in a manner similar to that above described, with the exception that they are not pro-V vided with bonnets.

Above these top-mast-stay sails, I have a sail which I call here a gaif-top sail, because it occupies the po- 'sition of a gaff-top sail in ordinary schooners. They are set by means of hoops on the top-mast, or by hoisting Afrom the deck with a yard attached, as usually done; but, inasmuch as in this rig there are no gaifs between the masts, the sails next below being carried on stays, the clew is hauled aft like a stay sail clew, to any convenient point, instead of being hauled out to a gaff.

The sails forward of the fore-and-aft of the mizzenmasts are the same as usual, as to size and the modes of setting and taking in. In large fore-and-aft vessels, rigged in my way, the sails between the masts are smaller in size and more easily reduced or furled than those of vessels of the same tonnage rigged in the old style.

As the lower sails, called storm sails, very seldom requirev reeng or reducing by removing their bonnets, they should be of the heaviest canvas, while theupper sails should be much lighter.

In the present rig, and especially in large schooners, the sails are heavy `to handle, and in stormy weather and when once reefed, in a gale of wind, the reefs cannot safely be let out, in case of a temporary lull, to steady the vessel; whereas, in the new rig, suppose the vessel, as in fig. 3, to be 4under short canvas, if a lull should occur, the top-maststay sails can be more easily set, and it' a sudden change or increase of wind makes it necessary, more easily taken in again than in vessels of the present rig.

I claim that the rig above described has many advantages over the rig at present in use, and among them the following, viz:

By dispensing 'with gaffs, much wear and tear are avoided, many heavy blocks, ropes, and winches are rendered unnecessary, the sails will be more out of the way when furled in port, and lthe booms may be used as derricks for hoisting cargo in and out.

The newA rig is cheaper in original cost, and in general wear and tear; it is safer in stormy weather, and will propel better in Whole-sail weather, except when going dead before the Wind.

The xed stays support their respective mastsY much better than the usual cross-stay.

The masts need not be so long nor so large in my' rig. This is an important advantage, as masts fitted for large schooners are very expensive in this country, and it is almost impossible to obtain them abroad.

Vessels rigged in this Way will be much more easily worked, as there-will be only rare occasions to 'go loftmore than fteen or twenty feet, if' the so-called galtop sails are fitted tset from the deck.

In adapting this rig to Atwo-masted sehooners it is best to spread the masts a little, so as to reduce the main-boom and sail and vthe main-jlb, whereby more sail will be carried in the body of the body of the vessel between the masts.

As by this rig it is impossible to wing out as amply as in the old rig, I recommend to have a -large square sail, with the yard to which it is hoisted so .rigged as to travel on astrong rod which vcan be stowed up and down the forward mast, as shown in fig. 2, letter f.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of stay sails running on traveling stays, with said stays and with gaif-top sails worked without gaffs, all between the masts of 'sehooners 2. The combination of traveling stays with stay sails running thereon between the masts of sehooners tially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

R. B. FORBES.

Witnesses:

JON. F. BARRETT, I. G. OUSHING.

in the place ofthe common gaff sails, all snbstan- 

